The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bicycle brake assemblies, and more particularly to a bicycle brake assembly with a ball and socket arrangement and replaceable brake shoes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bicycle brake shoe assemblies with replaceable brake shoes have taken various forms and designs. In lightweight bicycles, the brake assembly is mounted to the fork or frame, and is provided with brake shoes adapted to engage the rim of the wheel, such brake assemblies being referred to as caliper brakes.
Such assemblies have pivotally secured, manually actuated brake arms in depending relation to the rim with the ends thereof being slotted or having enlarged openings for receiving therein a stud for adjustably securing thereto a brake shoe member. In brake shoes of this type, the shoe includes a pad of friction material in generally rectangular form bonded to, or molded about a stud or fastener which is then passed through the slotted end of the caliper arm for securing thereto. Other known brake shoes have a sheet metal housing bent or crimped for receiving a block or pad of friction material.
One such device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,924, entitled "Device for Mounting Brake Shoe of Brake for Bicycle", issued Oct. 4, 1977 to Yoshigai, such device including a bent sheet metal housing for retention of the brake shoe, with ball and socket means at the point of interconnection of the brake shoe to the brake arm for permitting adjustment upon assembly. The embodiment of FIG. 5 of this patent is the closest prior art of which applicant is aware.
Another bicycle brake assembly is shown and described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,592, issued Apr. 10, 1984, entitled "Bicycle Brake Assembly". In that patent the brake assembly includes a separable heat sink member having a concave surface surrounding the aperture thereof, with a convex washer member coacting therewith to provide a ball and socket means for adjustable mounting of the brake assembly to the caliper arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,294, entitled "Brake Shoe Mount for Brake Apparatus" shows and describes other alternatives for adjustably mounting the brake shoe member to the arm, such other arrangements also including a concave edge about the aperture through the brake arm for receiving therein an adjustment member having a convex surface with an eccentric aperture through the adjustment member for enabling an additional axis of adjustment of the assembly.
Such prior art devices are illustrative of the state of the art of adjustable brake shoe assemblies using a ball and socket arrangement at the point of interconnection of the brake shoe member to the caliper brake arm.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bicycle brake assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved brake shoe member for a bicycle brake assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved brake shoe member for a bicycle brake assembly having a ball and socket arrangement for connection to the brake arm.